Reawakened
by Kanafire
Summary: Almost three years after the events of Persona 3, and a year after Persona 4, Minako wakes up on the roof of Gekkoukan High School with no memories of her time as the Seal. What is in store for her and her fellow SEES members when a new entity threatens the sanctity of the world? Read My One and Only for Shinji/Minako romance scene.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Standing on the precipice of darkness, he could feel the power of the two great beings. A small sliver of light was all that stood between them, forever keeping them at bay. It was hard to see from where he stood, but he could feel the warmth and power of the light fading rapidly. Even in the short time standing here, it was evident the seal would not hold. The massive shadow, Erebus, Igor called him, retreated, revealing the figure of a girl, tied to a great golden door. It was her power that stopped the entities from touching. From ending all life as they knew it. If her power continued to wane, the Apocalypse would happen sooner than later.

"As you can see, she cannot continue to be the Seal."

He turned around, nodding in acknowledgment at the blonde haired woman behind him. "What must I do?"

"You can chose to take her place. Or, you can walk away and live the rest of your life not knowing when her power will fail." Margaret answered, staring up at the golden door, "Your power over the Wild Card and the knowledge of life's true meaning gives you the strength to take her place."

"If I do this, how long will I last?"

"I do not know. Perhaps the same duration as her, or possibly longer. Your strength of your social links are greater than hers. She never saw all of them to completion." Margaret replied.

"Very well. I'll do it."

My back ached and my neck was kinked. I opened my eyes, groaning as a stray cloud uncovered the sun and it blinded me. Grunting, I sat up and looked around. I was lying on a stone bench on the roof of Gekkoukan High School, all alone in my uniform.

Why was I up here? Where were my friends? I pulled out my cell phone. My brows furrowed an I gnashed my teeth together. Out of service. How was this even possible? I paid my bill every month like clockwork. Then it dawned on me. Something was wrong.

I searched my memories, trying to figure how it was I came to be on the school roof. I remembered my bedroom. Ryoji-kun standing in front of me with a sad smile on his face. I remembered the frost clinging to the window and me running my hands up my arms, trying to keep the winter chill at bay.

I shivered with the cold. Snow fell from the afternoon sky and my breath fogged the air. Where was my coat? My teeth chattered together and my body shook. Time to go inside. I tried to turn the handle that lead inside, but it was locked. Swearing under my breath, I pulled one of my golden bobby pins from my hair and began to pick the lock.

Blessed warmth flooded through me as I stepped inside the building. I closed the door quietly behind me and headed towards the stairs. I made it past my classroom and almost around the corner and started down the next flight when I ran face-first into the security guard. I fell backwards and grunted as I hit the stairs. The guard growled and looked at me with a scowl.

"You're not supposed to be here." He pointed out.

I scrambled to my feet and brushed off the back of my skirt. "I'll just be going then." I tried to dart around him only to have him grab my arm.

"What are you doing here on a Sunday?" He inquired with narrow eyes.

"I was just here for help on an assignment. Ekoda Sensei is brutal." I forced a cheerful smile.

"That's funny because he transferred a month ago."

Huh?

"That's it. You're coming downtown with me."

I've been to the Paulownia Mall many times, both for recreation and for business purposes, both usually at the same time. This was the first time being escorted in to the police station for being a supposed criminal. Mitsuru was going to kill me. I sat patiently with my hands folded in my lap and my eyes trained on the floor. If I looked as harmless as possible there was a chance I could get out of trouble. It also helped I knew Officer Kurosawa on a business level.

"What have you brought in this time, Kaito?" Kurosawa asked.

"High school girl breaking and entering."

"This the girl?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'll take it from here. Thank you."

Kurosawa dismissed my jailor and walked around the counter to stand in front of me. I'd managed to keep him from recognizing me right away. My eyes had a habit of drawing people right to me. How often do you see a girl with demon red eyes? Never. At least not without the help of colored contacts.

"What is your name?"

I raised my chin and smirked. "Arisato Minako."

His eyes widened and his complexion paled. "How is that possible?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

Kurosawa stumbled back, almost running into the desk behind him. "Sa-Sanada-san!" The fear in his voice startled me almost as much as the officer hollering for Akihiko-senpai.

Akihiko came out of one of the side doors, wearing a dark gray suit and red tie. He was taller, leaner than I remembered. He looked...older. He looked at Kurosawa and over at me. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening. He regained his composure quickly, his steely eyes changing from shock to guarded. Why would he be so shocked to see me? Better yet, why was he dressed like that?

"Arisato?"

Even his voice sounded deeper, just enough for me to notice. My pulse began to race and my chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it. "Akihiko-senpai, what's wrong?"

Without warning, he rushed towards me, grabbed my wrist and pulled me from my chair. He stammered something incomprehensible to Kurosawa and dragged me from the station. I tried to wrestle my wrist away, but his grip was like an iron shackle. There was no breaking his hold. I had no choice but to follow, hoping my much shorter legs could keep up with his long stride. Standing this close to him I realized he didn't just look taller. He was taller.

Through the crowded mall, around the corner and towards the front door, he dragged me. The mall was packed full of students and parents shopping and adoring the Christmas lights. I stopped mid-stride. Christmas decorations? It was January first, wasn't it? Last night I made the decision to let Ryoji-kun live. Made the decision to fight to the bitter end, no matter the results. The mall took the decorations down the day after Christmas, so why were they back up?

Akihiko-senpai hadn't noticed me stop and almost ripped my arm from its socket. He stopped and looked back. I glanced at him and back to the lights. Something was wrong. "Senpai...what day is it?"

"December 22nd 2012."

My breath left me all at once and my knees gave out from under me. Akihiko released my wrist and I knelt on the ground, gasping for breath . My heart pounded away like a marching band in my chest. I wanted to laugh and tell him to stop messing with me, but the look in his eyes, the seriousness of his posture. The way he and Kurosawa reacted when they saw me. The Christmas lights and Ekoda's transfer. Everything made sense.

"Answer me one thing." Akihiko said sternly., "Are you really Minako and what happened to the Seal?"

Seal? A sharp pain pierced through my temple at the thought of it. I pushed harder, trying to find the answer to his question, but I came up blank. I could answer his first one though, "Yeah, I'm Minako." I forced myself to my feet, ignoring the fluttering in my chest. I was used to dealing with the crazy and unnatural. Surely time travel was something I could handle as well.

"Damn." He cursed as he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. I glanced at it curiously. It looked nothing like the flip phones I was used to. It was flat and he ran his finger across the screen to get it to do what he wanted. What happened to good old fashioned buttons? He put the phone to his ear and waited. "Mitsuru. Are you free for lunch? Yes, it's important. I can't tell you over the phone. It's something you're going to have to see to believe. I can be there shortly." He poked the screen and slid the phone in his pocket.

"Wait. If I'm in the future, does that mean we defeated Nyx?" I asked.

His eyes widen a fraction and he let out a frustrated sigh. "You mean you don't remember?"

I shook my head. "The last thing I remember I was in my bedroom with Ryoji-kun, telling him that I was gonna let him live."

He bit his lower lip and squeezed his gloved hands into fists. "Nobody is gonna believe this."

"Why not?"

"Minako you..." He shook his head.. "You know what, never mind. Let's meet with Mitsuru."

I wasn't sure I wanted to know what it was he was going to say. My poor heart agreed with me. I could only take so much shock in one day before the poor thing gave out. My stomach however had another idea. It growled loudly enough to wrestle a chuckle out of Akihiko.

"I see somethings haven't changed." He commented. He motioned for me to follow.

The restaurant we were meeting Mitsuru in was a place I'd never seen before. It was high class and didn't serve anything Aki and I would normally eat. We'd always been more content to eat giant bowls of ramen. The thought of food brought the image of smiling gray eyes and long, messy brown hair. I paused in the entryway and swallowed hard. What happened to him? Did he ever wake up? My heart tightened and I felt the urge to cry.

Akihiko paused and looked back. I schooled my face. I was the leader. I had to stay strong for everyone. I couldn't let my emotions run rampant. I gave him a forced smile and followed him further into the restaurant.

Mitsuru wasn't hard to spot. She looked the same, maybe a bit more refined. Her red hair was artfully styled over her shoulder and she wore a woman's business suit. It was weird seeing her out of her school uniform, but it was a fitting style for her. I wondered how the Kirijo Group was fairing these days.

Mitsuru's eyes widened and she jumped to her feet when her eyes landed on me. She gripped the back of her chair for balance and I watched the blood drain from her face. For being a well composed woman, Mitsuru was acting highly undignified. Was seeing me that big of a shock? Akihiko also acted badly when he saw me. It was like they were looking at a ghost. I paled. Was that it? Was that why they acted like this? Was I dead in this time?

"Akihiko, is that really?"

He nodded. "It is."

I gave a feeble wave. "Hi, Mitsuru-senpai."

I thought she was gonna faint for sure. Aki left my side and approached senpai, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you sit down, Mitsuru." He suggested.

"A good idea." She replied, slowly taking her seat. She grabbed her glass of water and sipped it delicately. She placed the glass back on the table, her face schooled and business-like. "Does this mean the Seal is broken?"

She was looking directly at me. What Seal was she talking about? Aki mentioned the same thing. I shook my head and shrugged. "I don't know what Seal you're talking about."

"Akihiko, explain."

He repeated what I told him before leaving the mall. "I'm not sure there is a way to check to see the condition of the seal. Last time we were there, we were brought there by Metis and that Igor person."

"Igor!" I blurted. "You've met Igor?"

They nodded. "Yes." Aki answered. "He showed us what happened to you after we defeated Nyx."

I shook my head, not sure what he was saying. "What happened to me? Did I die?"

Mitsuru cleared her throat. "Your physical body died on graduation day, but you used your soul to seal Nyx away. She could not be completely destroyed. You have single handedly kept Erebus and Nyx from meeting and the world from ending."

"Erebus?" The name was familiar, but I couldn't get a clear picture. This was all too much for me to comprehend right now. Right now, it sounded like I needed to make a trip to the Velvet Room to see what the hell was going on. The nearest door was back at the mall.

A hum of energy pulsated through the building and a purple glow reflected on the back wall by the bathroom hallway. I felt something appear in my pocket. I slid my hand inside and found the familiar weight of the Velvet Key. It would seem Igor also wanted to talk to me. Would Aki and Mitsuru be able to follow? I decided against it quickly. This was something I needed to do alone.

"Excuse me. I need to use the restroom." I gave them both genuine smiles and dismissed myself from the table. I looked over my shoulder and looked at Aki. "If the waiter shows up, I'll take whatever you're having." He nodded.

I chuckled at the location of the door. Instead of the ladies room, it was the Velvet Door. I slid the key into the slot and opened the door. Everything was the same as always. Igor sat in his chair with his hands folded under his chin. Theodore stood on his left side staring at me with adoration in his eyes. I smiled in return and sat down in the chair across from Igor.

"I see you made your way back." Igor said.

"What is going on?"

"You have returned from the Seal."

"And why don't I remember anything? What happened to the Seal? Is it broken?"

Igor smirked it scared me when he did that. He was creepy looking enough as it was without the smirking with that large beak of a nose and round, scary eyes. "The Seal is in place, Arisato. Another has taken your place, one stronger and better suited to the duty."

Oh, so I wasn't good enough to hold the Seal. I wasn't sure if it was a relief or a disappointment that I couldn't keep the position. "So, I was pulled from the seal and brought back here. What is my purpose now?"

"Your purpose is up to you to decide, but there are strange things happening in your world, things that will effect you and your friends. You have found the true meaning to life and fulfilled your contract, so your job is complete. You have no duty to perform" A piece of paper appeared before him on the table. I recognized it immediately. It was the contract I signed my first night in Iwatodai. Stamped across the top in bright red letters was the word "Fulfilled." Igor looked from the paper and met my gaze. "

"Another thing you must know. You no longer hold the wild card. Your ability to hold multiple persona is gone." Theodore added.

Now that he mentioned it, my mind was unusually empty. I was used to a dozen or so persona swimming around in my head, giving me hints and clues. Telling me what the best course of action when dealing with certain social situations. I was the ultimate social bunny, always able to fit in where ever I went. I searched the back of my mind where my persona resides and only found one. Thanatos' consciousness stirred and looked through my eyes at my surroundings, scanning for potential danger. Seeing that I was safe, he nestled back into my subconscious.

"Is Thanatos all I have now?"

"Yes. You and he have a special bond, one that cannot be easily severed. He was Pharos, Ryoji and the Harbinger of Nyx- even a piece of Nyx herself. It would take a great deal of power to rip that persona from you." Igor explained.

Knowing our visit was at an end, I asked, "Will I ever see you again?"

Igor gave a non-committal shrug. "The future is always unknown, even to me. Only time will tell if you will find your way back. Farewell." With a wave of his hand, the Velvet Room slipped away and I was back in the hallway, staring at the woman's restroom door. I decided to make a show of it since time in the Velvet Room didn't pass time in the real world. I pushed the door open and washed my hands and face.

I stared at my reflection. I looked the way I always have. Seventeen years old with auburn hair and bright red eyes. My hair pins were still in my signature XXII, and wearing my school uniform. My shoulders sagged. I was still seventeen while my friends were twenty, twenty-one. Time passed for them, changed them. Would they still want to be my friend? What about Shinji? Was he still alive? My heart clenched again and I gripped the front of my uniform, trying my best to keep my heart from wrenching in two. Even if he woke up from his coma, the persona suppressants he'd been taking would have killed him eventually. Was he still? Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill down my cheeks. I took a deep, steadying breath and splashed cold water on my face. I needed to pull it together. I had a second chance at life. I wasn't going to waste it worrying about things I couldn't change.

I made my way back to the table just as the waiter finished taking the orders. I gave him a smile and took my seat beside Aki. Food was fancy and not to my liking, but my stomach was happy with the sustenance. Apparently, it has been over two years since I've eaten anything and I ended up eating twice as much as Aki. I hadn't even thought about how I was gonna pay my tab, but it would seem Mitsuru was ahead of us and had everything charged to her credit card.

"Arisato, how about you come back to the lab with me. There are a few things I would like to check out." Mitsuru suggested.

"Like what?"

"I want to see if being the Seal has had any adverse affects on your body and your ability to use your persona." She explained, "besides, you will be in need of a place to sleep, am I wrong?"

I shook my head, "No, you're right."

"Akihiko, will you gather SEES for me and have everybody convene tomorrow afternoon? They will want to hear about Arisato's return."

"Sure thing." He nodded. "Minako, it's great seeing you." He patted my shoulder and grinned. An unusual sight for him. "I'll see you tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

My stomach was a bundle of nerves. Aki showed up around ten in the morning with news that everybody was set to show up around noon. Akihiko gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder and went off to find something to entertain himself with. I wanted him to talk to me, to tell me about all the things I missed, but somehow, I don't think he was ready to open up like that. The Akihiko-senpai I knew would have opened up to me in a heartbeat. Our friendship was unbreakable, I was like his kid sister. Apparently being gone for over two years put a kink in our bond—severed it. It hurt to see him so recluse. He wasn't the Akihiko I knew and loved.

Mitsuru-senpai was also different. While she'd always been severe and proper, she was on a whole new level now. Being the leader of the Kirijo Group really changed her, and I wasn't sure it was for the better. I'd figured by now Akihiko and her would have realized they had feelings towards each other, but no such luck. With her busy schedule and him working full time at the police station put a serious strain in their relationship.

If these two have changed, how had everybody else fared? Was Junpei still happy and everybody's best friend? Was Yukari her same old self, my first friend here in Iwatodai. What about Ken? How tall was he now? He was in middle school now, practically a high school student. He was sure to be different, but that was expected considering his age. And Koro-chan? Was he still running around, healthy and fluffy as ever? Was Fuuka still perfecting her cooking techniques? Had she gone off to college to show of her amazing computer skills? Aigis...now that the shadows were dealt with, had she returned to the lab to be shut down, or did she finally figure out what it meant to be alive? Shinji...I shook my head. No, better to not think about that right now. I wouldn't want to greet everybody with red, puffy eyes.

Mitsuru conjured me up fresh clothing and hair product. After a quick shower I stood in front of the mirror, looking at the clothing she picked out. It was similar to what I normally wore. Red plaid skirt with a cream colored sweater and a red scarf. She even managed to come up with black leggings and a pair of red boots. All of it fit like a glove, and had me wondering if she somehow kept some of my belongings after I "died". I pulled my hair back in a ponytail and pinned my clips in my hair as usual. I fanned out my bangs and let out a deep breath.

Voices came from down the hallway. I smiled. My friends were here. I was thrilled that they were so close. They've always been my go to when I needed something, whether it be help with homework or a shoulder to cry on. They were my strength, my shelter. I grabbed the door handle and turned it quietly. I wanted to get a look at them before they saw me. I tip toed down the hall and paused just shy of turning into the family room. My heart fluttered. Why was I nervous? I saw them only two days ago. It's not like its been almost three years since I've spoken to them.

That's not true.

I'd spent the past years as a barrier between two scary monsters, fighting day and night. Flashes of a battle I didn't recognize flashed across my vision. A dark creature—it looked like a dog. A giant, ugly dog.

"Why did you gather us here, Senpai?"

Yukari's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Her voice was the same. I swallowed a nervous lump and decided to make my entrance.

I held my head up high and did my best to keep my hands from shaking. "Because of me."

The chatter died down and everybody went silent. Seven pairs of eyes looked at me, all with varying degrees of shock. I met each pair, seeing how everybody differed physically. Everybody was taller, older looking. Ken was hardly recognizable. I only did because the only thing that hadn't changed was his eyes. Large, brown and friendly.

Akihiko and Mitsuru smiled at me and turned to look further into the room. Confused, I followed their gaze. My heart stopped. I couldn't breathe.

A pair of gray eyes bored into mine. All at once, my body started to function properly again and I was flying across the room faster than I'd ever moved in my life. I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms tightly around his middle, burying my face into the soft fabric of his maroon coat. Tears spilled from my eyes and I hiccuped.

"Shit." Shinji's arms instinctively wrapped around me, holding me to him. His body was shaking against mine. "Mina?"

I hiccuped again—half choking on a sob. "Shinji...I thought..."

"Aki, what the fuck is going on?" Shinji demanded, tightening his grip on me.

"Minako?" Yukari questioned tentatively, followed by similar inquiries from everybody else. I felt, rather than saw them move towards me, circling me. I could feel their desire to reach out and touch me, to see if I was real, but none of them did.

Mitsuru cleared her throat and drew everybody's attention to her. The authority in her voice made me want to turn around and look at her, but there was no way Shinjiro was letting me go anytime soon. I didn't mind though. There was no place I'd rather be then here, in his arms. It'd been so long since he touched me like this—since I last saw him awake.

"So, does this mean the Seal is broken?" Shinji asked once Mitsuru finished explaining things.

"No. The Seal is fine." I replied. Shinji released me and held me at arm's length. His eyes met mine. "The Seal is fine. I spoke to Igor last night. Somebody took my place, somebody stronger."

"But that doesn't make sense. There are no other persona users." Mitsuru said.

"There are more." I replied, sure of myself. Memories flowed through me. Sensations, feelings, and sounds. I couldn't see anything, but I didn't need to. "There is another group like us. Their leader is like me. The wild card. The power to hold multiple persona."

"I thought you said you had no memories, Arisato." Mitsuru probed, her eyes narrowing at me.

"I didn't. I'm remembering as I speak." I reply, feeling a shift in the back of my mind. Thanatos pushed himself to the front of my mind. "There was a string of incidents a while back, connected to shadow activity. Things are different though, the Dark Hour is gone, but the shadows are not. Another dimension. A portal to another world, one just as dangerous as the Dark Hour." My voice kept flowing, speaking—telling them things I didn't know. "A great Power awakened. Similar to Nyx, she wanted the world plunged into darkness and death. She wanted to end life as we knew it, to spare the human race from pain and suffering." Pain shot through my temple. I wince and grab my head with my right hand. I started to fall, but Shinji is right there, his arms wrapping around me, holding me close. I take comfort in his embrace and the pain lessens.

"Minako-chan!" Yukari rushed forward, reaching for the evoker at her waist.

I continue to speak, still unsure where the words and knowledge comes from, "He sees through the deceit and fog and is able to find the truth. The truth to life. The truth of the mystery surrounding his home and friends. He and his friends find and defeat the goddess who would have otherwise destroyed the Seal—destroyed me."

Everybody is silent, waiting for me to continue. The pain continues piercing through my mind, but I need to continue while I can. I don't know when this flow of information will come to an end.

"The final fight between Him and Izanami weaken the Seal. My strength waned, a little each day, until I no longer had the strength to keep Erebus at bay." An image flashed across my vision. A boy, no older than me with silver hair and eyes. Standing behind him a woman who looks a lot like Theodore. "The boy, stronger than I ever was offered to take my place on the Seal. To fight for eternity."

The flow of information stopped, Thanatos slipped into my subconscious, and my legs gave out from under me, dragging me and Shinji to the ground. I gasped for breath. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak. My throat was closed. My vision blurred and everything went black.

Igor's words rang in my mind. Strange things were happening here. Things that would effect me and mine.

_Why would I think about that now?_ I ask myself. Igor's wide eyes and bulbous nose appeared in my minds eye and his voice echoed. "The choice is always yours. Look and you will find yourself tangled in another serious of events. Turn away and you never know what will happen."

I hated when he did that. Talking to me in my mind so I couldn't even talk back. But why was he telling me this now. Was he secretly probing me to investigate something, or was he cautioning me away from danger? Why couldn't I go to the Velvet Room? Igor! You bastard, don't do this to me!

"Mina!" Shinji cried out, shaking Minako's shoulder gently. She'd collapsed in his arms, unconscious. He was still certain this was one of his crazy dreams, but this one seemed so real. Before in his dreams, he could see and talk to her, but never has he been able to smell and touch her. To feel her in his arms was amazing. The best feeling in the world. There was never a girl after Minako died. He couldn't bring himself to love anybody else. She was is first and only love.

Everybody always told him time changes you. In time, he'd learn to love again. He tried, honestly he had, but no woman compared to his Minako. Nobody had her spunk, her charisma. Nobody made him want to better himself. Only she had that effect on him. Feeling her grow cold in his arms on the roof of the school was the worst day of his life. He slipped into depression, wanting to curl up and die just so he could be with her again.

He almost went through with it until the last night of March, almost three years ago, when the Abyss of Time opened up and he learned the truth. It was hard, learning that she was forever locked in a battle with Nyx and Erebus, but he had to be honest. It was something she would chose to do. She'd rather sacrifice herself than see any of her friends hurt. She died to save him. To save them all. Killing himself would tarnish that act of love, so he committed himself to living. It wasn't the best life, but it was something.

Seeing her ruby eyes and cheerful smile, scared him. As happy as he was to see her, to hold her, something had to have gone wrong for her to be standing here. And sure enough, only moments of holding her, something did go wrong. Her posture and voice changed. She started speaking in a manner he'd never heard from her. It was almost prophetic and to be honest, scary. Then she collapsed, and he was fearing the worst. That he was going to feel her grow cold in his arms once more.

"Takeba, do something." He growled.

"I did. She's not physically injured. Her body is fine." She snapped, kneeling on the floor in front of him with her hand on Minako's forehead, the glow of a Diahran enveloping her.

"Yamagishi, can you sense anything?" Mitsuru asked.

Yamagishi nodded and stepped forward. The girl, even after all these years was shy and timid. When would she grow a pair? "I felt something before she passed out. It felt like a persona." She chewed on her bottom lip and pulled out her evoker. Juno appeared and enveloped Yamagishi in her protective casing. "Oh, wow."

"Spit it out, damnit." Shinji snapped. Something was wrong with Mina and he needed to know what.

"She's different. Before she always had a bunch of persona swimming around her." She explained. "But she only has one. And...her arcana is different. She was the Fool, or as she called it, the Wild Card. Its Death now. I've never heard of anybody's arcana changing."

"Could it be an effect of being on the seal? Nyx was also the death arcana. Maybe that's why it changed." Mitsuru nibbled on her thumb nail.

"Well, her current persona is Thanatos." Juno disappeared and Yamagishi sighed. "Wasn't Ryoji-kun Thanatos?"

Takeba nodded. "Thanatos appeared the night she first summoned her persona. He ripped his way out and went berserk. The result of that was her being hospitalized for a couple of weeks. It was scary, I thought her persona was going to turn on me."

"I remember that." Aki added. "I'd never seen a persona so powerful."

"So, does that mean she's okay?" Shinji asked again.

Yamagishi nodded. "Yes. She's just tired she'll just need some rest."

Shinji scooped Minako in his arms and held her protectively against his chest. "I'll put her in the guest bedroom." Mitsuru nodded and he took off.

He laid her in bed, pulling the blankets up under her chin. He sat on the side of the bed and took her small hand in his. She looked the same. Still seventeen years old and innocent. "Damnit, you're always messing everything up, you know that?" He said softly, chuckling under his breath. "You're always getting into trouble and I'm always the one getting you out of it. Isn't that my job? You're the leader. You're supposed to be the one rescuing us not the other way around."

He released her hand and brushed her bangs away from her eyes. "You look so fragile, lying here asleep. It's hard to believe you're the one that stopped Nyx and saved the world."

_All of her persona are gone._ Yamagishi said.

"Does that mean you're just like us now? That you've lost that amazing ability to use whatever persona you want? Damnit, Mina, that power kept you safe. It's why I wasn't afraid to let you go into battle. I knew you could take care of yourself. If something happens what are you going to do? Are you going to rush head first into battle like always?" He bit his lip to keep from cursing. The thought of her fighting without her full power scared the hell out of him. Sure, everybody else did just fine with their one persona, but Mina's always had more. She's relied on it from the start. How would he be able to fight with just Thanatos?

"I guess I'll just have to stick by your side, be your shield when you need one." He gave a faint smile, something he hadn't done since her passing.

Glass shattered in his mind and Castor appeared above him without the aid of his evoker. Shinji was startled at first, thinking Castor was going to lose it, but something stopped him. There was no hostility in his persona. Castor made eye contact and nodded. White light shone from Castor's core and his body shifted and changed shape. When the light fades, a persona with the shape of a man with a sword and shield hovered above the floor. He was covered head to toe in black and golden armor with a red plume attached to the helmet, flowing down his back.

Shinji heard about persona evolving during times of revelation, but he'd never experienced it himself. This was it. His persona evolved. His name fell off his tongue as if he'd known it all along. "Artorius."

I was burning up. The blankets were too heavy and warm. They needed to sit still. I was trying to sleep. Something whimpered when I tried to roll over. Blankets don't whimper. I open my eyes to see a snow white dog with ruby red eyes staring at me. I jump, startled at first, only to realize it was Koromaru. I ran my fingers through his soft fur and smiled. He looked great. Well-fed and groomed properly.

"Hey Koro-chan."

"Woof!"

"Yeah, its good to see you too, buddy." I rubbed his left ear. "But, can you get off, you're like a portable furnace."

"You started shivering in your sleep, I thought he'd help warm you."

Shinji sat on a chair beside the bed, his eyes ringed with sleep deprivation. Koromaru jumped off the bed which freed me to move. I sat up and reached out to him. "Shinji!"

"'Bout time you wake up, sleepy head. You scared the shit out of all of us, passing out like that." He griped.

"Passing out?" I gave him a blank stare, not sure what he was talking about. Come to think of it, how did I get here. Last thing I remembered, I was in Shinji's arms. My friends were gathered around me, hovering.

"You don't remember?"

I shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Psh. Figures." He grumped. "You started talking weird, spewing shit about another group of persona users and their leader took your spot at the Seal. When you were done, you collapsed. You scared the hell out of me!"

I flinched. He was upset. I could tell that much, not that I blamed him. Passing out in somebody's arms was generally not the best first impression. "I'm okay though, so...don't be mad. 'kay?"

"Whatever." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the chair.

"Senpai?" I inquired.

His eye twitched and he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

"I love you."

The corner of his mouth twitched. He stood up and gave me his back. "If you're feeling better, You need to eat something." He left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Darkness clung to his body, dragging his mind further into despair. He gripped his two-handed sword and slashed his enemy. The large shadow reared back, roaring in pain. This was only the beginning. Izanagi appeared before him, sword position mirroring his own. Once again, the shadow charged forward, relentless in its struggle to be with Nyx. It was his job to stop him. For eternity. Him versus Erebus.

An eerie red light shone in his peripheral, he turned his head, meeting the red glow head on. His silver eyes widened. A second shadow appeared, this one smaller then Erebus, but no less weaker for it. Izanagi shuddered with anticipation of another enemy. He wished he could feel the same enthusiasm. Nobody mentioned a third power. This shadow should not be here. With his attention on the newcomer, he did not sense the sudden charge of Erebus.

I shot to a sitting position, panting for breath and a thin sheen of sweat covering me from head to toe. What was that? A dream? A nightmare? Who was that boy? My head was a mess and I couldn't make heads or tails of it. A gentle brush from Thanatos eased my body and I slumped back against the pillows.

I looked at the clock on the bedside table. Seven in the morning. I tossed back the blanket and grabbed the pile of clothes on the chair where Shinji had sat last night. After a quick shower, I waltzed down to the kitchen where I could smell my favorite breakfast food cooking.

Not to my surprise, Shinjiro towered over the stove with a spatula in hand, flipping pancakes. I sat at the table and drummed my fingernails to the beat thumping in my head. I needed to get an mp3 player and fast. I needed my music. It was my only addiction in life.

Shinji looked over his shoulder and shook his head. "Bacon?" He asked.

"Of course." I replied, continuing to drum to the music.

"Would you stop that. It's distracting."

I stopped my fingers just before they made contact with the table. I pushed out my bottom lip in a pout. "Fine. Ruin my fun."

"Psh. You haven't changed at all."

"Of course I haven't. Why would I change?"

He set a stack of pancakes on a serving plate and turned around to face me. "Because you've spent the last three years fighting the strongest shadow we've ever seen. Doing something like that is supposed to change a person." He set the plate on the table and passed me the syrup. "Most people would be cynical or angry. You're the same bubbly girl from before."

"It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I don't remember anything." I said, grabbing a pancake off the stack and placing it on the plate that was in front of me. I dowsed it with syrup and took two bites before continuing. "What's been going on in the world lately. Any world ending shadows or anything?"

He snorted. "Well, there was a huge hype about the day before and how December 22nd was supposed to be the end of the world. All because of some Mayan calendar."

"Really? How odd."

"Being aware of all the strange shit, Kirijo looked into it, wondering if it had a connection to the shadows and Nyx, but she couldn't find anything abnormal." He tossed several pieces of bacon into the frying pan. "Well...I can't say she didn't find anything. In several places around the world, people have gone crazy and started killing people."

"And none of the cases are related in any way?"

"Nope."

I finished my pancake and reached for the second. Igor said there was something else going on here, that may or may not have something to do with me. Was this what he was talking about? The last time people started talking about the end of the world, Nyx was descending on earth, causing chaos and turmoil. Was this a repeat performance? No...Nyx was still sealed. I was sure of that much.

_That dream I had, that was the boy who took my place_. I wasn't sure where that jump in logic came from, but now that I thought about it, it felt right.

The red glow felt off. I didn't remember any of my time as the Seal, but I knew that glow wasn't supposed to be there. It was a new addition. One that probably would have killed me if I had remained on the seal. Was that why Igor had him take my place? Because he would be strong enough to hold off the new threat when I could not?

I needed more information. Something solid to work off. Knowing that boy's name would be a good starting point. I had a face and a voice, but no name or where he was from. By the time I finished my second pancake, I decided what I needed to do.

"Shinji, when I died...what happened?"

His body froze and his breath caught in his throat. "You fell asleep and didn't wake up. The doctors claimed it was extreme exhaustion." His voice sounded normal, or would have sounded normal if I hadn't known him as well as I did. Three years is a long time to miss, but some things didn't change.

"Is there a computer around here I can use? I need to check something."

His body relaxed a little, but he was still tense. "Yeah, down the hall and to the left. You haven't finished your breakfast."

Not wanting to let the food grow cold, I dug in. "I'll check after I'm done eating." I said with a mouth full of food. "Hurry with the bacon."

"Hold your horses, Woman. It's cooking as fast as it can." He chuckled. I smiled, glad to see the tension run out of him. "Did you want milk or orange juice?"

"Orange juice please."

Breakfast was amazing and I ate until I thought I was gonna explode. By the time I finished, Mitsuru and Akihiko came in, both looking like zombies. I laughed and flashed Shinji a smile before skipping off to the computer.

I brought up the search engine and began my search. It shouldn't take too long. How many kids my age die from exhaustion? Turns out there were more than I thought, but there was only one of them with a picture matching the boy in my dream. Narukami Yuu. He was currently residing in Tokyo, but according to his background records, he stayed in Inaba for a while. Using all the tricks Fuuka taught me, I managed to break into his files and learn more about him and the city.

Narukami moved in with his uncle because his parents were working abroad and couldn't take him with. He lived in Inaba for only a year before moving back to Tokyo. His time in Inaba, despite being a a small town, was not a quiet stay. Inaba recently experienced a double homicide, a copycat killer and a string of missing teenage students, all from the same school. The case finally came to a surprising conclusion in December when Dojima's young daughter was taken. It seemed the man's partner, Adachi was the killer.

Right around that time, the Inaba area was plagued by thick, unexplained fog. People were going on about the end of the world and other, crazy ideas. It was the same as what happened with us right before Nyx showed up, but instead of the fog, we had the Dark Hour. Was this the events that lead to Narukami coming into his power as the wild card? I needed more information than the computer could give me.

I was like a dog with a bone. I couldn't just let this go. Deep in my gut I knew this was another series of events that could end the world. Whether I was the wild card or not, I had to stop it. My knowledge of shadows and combat would be handy. I couldn't just sit by if there was trouble. I knew the rest of SEES was the same way. If I told the others, they would agree with me. Problem with that, I didn't want to worry them for nothing, just in case it was my crazy imagination going wild.

What bugged me was how the group was summoning their persona. We required the use of an evoker, and since Mitsuru was the head of the Kirijo group, she would know if there was another group out there. And she said there wasn't any others like us. I needed to get to the bottom of this and the only way to do so, was find the group of persona users from Inaba. I printed off the addresses to the list of teenagers that went missing throughout the year and shut down my search engine, wiping the history

"How are you feeling?"

I started at the voice and spun around in my chair. Akihiko stood in the doorway, looking at me with cop eyes. When did he grow so serious? "Oh! Akihiko-senpai! I didn't hear you come in." I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting my nerves go with it. "I'm doing fine."

He eyed the papers in my hand, but didn't say anything, "That's good. You gave us a good scare yesterday."

"Yeah, sorry about that, Senpai."

"Takeba was going to come by later and take you out shopping. You're going to need a few things if you're back for good."

I nodded. "I will. Thank you, Senpai."

"I'm off to work, I'll see you when I get off." He waved his hand and left the doorway.

I sighed and straightened the pages so they were order of date they went missing. I clipped them together and slipped them into a vanilla envelope that was empty on the desk. I'm sure Mitsuru wouldn't mind me borrowing it.

I bumped into Shinjiro as I left the room, almost throwing myself off balance. He caught my arm and kept me from falling over and making a fool out of myself.

"You should watch where you're walking." Shinji snorted. He looked at the envelope I was currently crushing to my chest. I'd been ready to protect my paper at the cost of a sore tailbone. "Whatcha got there?"

"N-nothing."

"Liar." He snatched the envelope from me and opened up the contents. His eye brows climbed into his hair line. "What the hell is this?"

"Um...just some research."

"Uh-huh. Liar. You're up to something. I knew it as soon as you asked about the computer." He handed the papers back. "Tell me what is going on in that brain of yours."

I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the guest bedroom and shut the door behind us. "Sit." I pointed to the bed. He did as he was told and I started pacing at the foot of the bed. I explained to him my dream, my talk with Igor and how I thought the Seal was in danger from this new entity and its tie to the end of the world hype people were going on about. The 22nd was the day I was pulled from the Seal. Could it be that the day I was set free was the day that creature was let loose in the Abyss of Time?

"Shit." He swore when I finished.

I sat down beside him. "Shit is the understatement of the year."

"What are you going to do?"

I looked at the folder on the bed beside me. "I need to get to the bottom of this. I can't just let it go. Even if I'm no longer the Wild Card, the one with all the power, I have to do something. I need to find the others like us and tell them what happened to their friend. If their group is as close as our once was, they will be devastated at his death. They are gonna want answers. I can give them that at the very least."

"Are you planning on telling the others?"

I shook my head. "How can I? They have lives now. Akihiko is a police officer, Mitsuru has the Kirijo group. Junpei, Fuuka and Yukari are in college. Ken is still in school and I don't know about Aigis. Even you have your own life now. I can't just involve you in something that will ruin all of that. You've earned peace."

He placed his hand on my leg and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You've earned peace too."

I shook my head. "No, I don't. I was supposed to be the Seal and I failed my duty. The only way I can think of to make up for that is to get to the bottom of this."

"You don't have to do this alone, Minako."

"Yes, I do. I can't put you guys in that kind of danger."

He grabbed my chin and forced me to look into his eyes. The gentle gray eyes I'd grown used to were gone, replaced by cold gray, the color of the sky before a winter storm. "Damnit, Arisato. Would you just shut up? You are not going alone because I'm coming with you."

"But senpai..."

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" He asked, arching a brow. His eyes were a little less dangerous, but no less threatening.

"Shinji...I thought I lost you once, I can't go through that again."

"Yeah, and how the fuck do you think I feel? I felt you grow cold in my arms. I watched the life drain away from your body as I held you on the roof of the school. I lost you, to a battle I couldn't help you fight. And now that you're back, do you really think I'm going to let you walk away?"

My eyes went wide. My jaw fell open. I couldn't find my voice. My heart thrummed loudly in my chest, beating against my ribcage like a drum. I hadn't known. I should have. Some part of my brain knew that he was speaking the truth. I had died in his arms.

"So get that stupid idea out of your head." He continued. "Because you are not alone. Ever. Do you hear me?"

I swallowed hard and nodded my head.

"Good. Now, why don't you give the name of that town again and I'll get us tickets." He held his hand out for the envelope. I handed it to him because I didn't know what else to do.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry about the delay in chapters, but I've been super sick all week! But now that I'm feeling better, my muse is spewing all over the keyboard. I'm giving you two chapters today in hopes of making it up to you! Thank you for all the reviews, they keep a writer going! Now, sit back and enjoy the chaos of my mind.

Chapter 4

"You want me to what?" I asked.

"Well, you want to get to know these other persona users, right?" Shinji asked, humor lurking just behind his permanent scowl.

"Yes, but why that?"

"Well, Kirijo went through a lot of trouble to get this all sorted, might as well use it."

"I can't believe you all of all people are making me do this." I crossed my arms over my chest and let out an irritated huff.

"Oh, come off it. You never had an issue with going before, what's changed?"

"What's changed?" I shouted, my voice was reaching dangerous volumes and we were starting to attract a lot of attention. "Let's see here, all my friends are out of high school and working jobs or going to college and you want me to go back to high school? I have more important things to do."

"Like get close to a group of persona users who happen to be in high school. Hell, even a couple of them are in the same grade as you." He chuckled, looking at the papers in his hand.

"I'm going to make you suffer for this."

His face broke out in a rare smile. "I wouldn't expect anything less. But, seriously though, it can't be that bad."

"Says the one who constantly skipped school."

"Hey, I graduated, didn't I?"

"Fine." I sighed. "I'll do it, but who are you supposed to be in this little charade? Because there is no way in hell you can be my older brother or anything, 'cause that is just wrong on more than one level."

"You know, I never thought of that."

I sighed and leaned against the wall of the train station. "Of course not."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, sounding offended.

"Nothing is ever easy with us is it?" I asked. "Maybe we should have brought Aki, or something. He could have played the brother card."

"Like Aki would agree to something like this. Well, he'd do it, but he'd want the entire gang here." Shinji replied. "Too bad the schools here don't have dorm rooms like Gekkoukan. We will just have to play it by ear. If you need a parent or guardian signature, I'm sure I can forge something." He scanned the small crowd. "Let's get to the inn. I'm starving."

"One of the persona users works there, so that's perfect."

We took a taxi to the inn and checked out a room. The lady gave us an odd look when we only wanted one room for an undetermined amount of time. She seemed scandalized that I would be sleeping in the same room as Shinji. We ignored her penetrating eyes and went to our room. After sorting out the room and changing into the blue yukatas we went to find dinner and possibly Amagi Yukiko.

We had no such luck. The food was great and the service was even better. We took turns in the outdoor hot springs and eventually night fell and it was time to go to sleep. Only one problem. How were we going to do this? While I had no problems snuggling up to Shinji, I wasn't sure how he felt about it.

While he was in the shower, I decided to play it safe and sleep on my own futon. Wouldn't' do us any good to get into an uncomfortable situation with nowhere to go to escape. We were in a new town and didn't know anybody. We had to play it safe for now. There would be ample time to get reacquainted with each other later.

He eye balled the futon I was sleeping on, but didn't say anything. He said goodnight and curled up on his own.

It was a restless night.

Morning was just as awkward as I got up to get dressed. I was so used to my dorm room, that I started to pull of my night shirt before I felt a pair of silver eyes staring at me. I flushed bright red and grabbed my clothes and made a hasty retreat to the bathroom.

"I have you registered for school. You start tomorrow."

I stopped in the bathroom door and blinked at him. "That was fast."

"Small school, so less loops to go through. You can pick up your uniform anytime today, they said." Shinji rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. He grabbed the newspaper and began going through it.

"I guess I'll go do that then." I pulled my hair into my signature ponytail and added the pins before making my way to the door. "You wanna come sightseeing with me?"

"Nah. I'm going to head over to the shopping district and look for a job. Since we don't know how long we're gonna be here, I'm gonna need to have a cash flow."

Hearing Shinji talk about jobs and school like a respectable adult was new to me, and I wasn't sure how to take it. He's always been responsible and caring, but this was a whole new person I was seeing. This wasn't my Shinji at all. My stomach knotted. He was all grown up and I was still just a kid. Our argument at the train station proved it. I blinked back the threat of tears and waved goodbye.

The town wasn't hard to navigate since I was used to the bustling streets of Iwatodai. The shopping district looked a little worse for wear, but she guessed that had a lot to do with the Junes that was open across town. I passed by a textile shop, a restaurant, several smaller stores and a store that claimed to have antique weapons and armor. That store caught I attention immediately. I missed the feel of my naginata in my hands. I checked my wallet. I had enough funds to splurge a little bit. Mitsuru had given me a wad of cash and an emergency credit card.

I stepped inside and was met by a big burly man with arms the size of mountains. It was obvious by his build he was used to doing a lot of manual labor. I didn't stare at him too long, I couldn't keep my eyes off the display of weapons. They were all hand crafted and amazing. My eye caught a naginata mounted on the wall in the far back, closest to the register. I walked over to it and held my hand over the handle hesitantly.

"Not a weapon most girls look at." The blacksmith asked.

"I'm not most girls."

"You kids running into more trouble?"

I pulled my hand back and looked at the man. "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you with that group of youngsters who came in all the time buying weapon upgrades and armor last year?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm new to town. I saw the shop and had to take a look. I used to own one of these." I pointed to the naginata.

"You know how to use it?"

I nodded.

He came around the counter and pulled the weapon off the shelf and handed it to me. I held the gray shaft with one hand and pulled the sheath off the blade. It gleamed like polished silver. I ran my finger across the edge and came away with a small cut. It was sharp.

"It's beautiful."

The man studied me carefully, narrowing his eyes, then smiled. "You should see the light shining in your eyes, girl. You look like I just handed you the keys to a chest of gold."

"It feels like it too." I smiled up at him. "How much is it?"

He went back to the counter and pulled out a catalog. He flipped through several pages before finding the page he was looking for. "Normally, I'd sell it at 7000 yen, but I'm feeling generous and will sell it for half price."

My eyes widened. "Seriously?" He nodded. "I'll take it!"

I handed him the money. He placed the sheath back on and slipped it into a long black cloth sleeve and wrapped a zip tie just below the hilt so I was unable to draw the weapon until I got home and could remove the tie. He explained it was a safety measure. I understood. He managed to rip up a shoulder strap for it so I could carry it on my back while I walked around town.

I made it to the gates of the high school when it dawned on me that I was carrying a weapon on school property. I chuckled under my breath. Wouldn't that be great. Get carted off to jail my first day here. Shinji would love that. I shrugged it off and went inside. The faculty office was easy to find and the teachers were friendly. They didn't even blink at the thing I had slung across my back. Maybe they thought it was something else?

I took the bag of school uniforms and made my way back to the inn. Shinji was gone, but there as a note on the table that said he'd gone to talk to the owner of Aiya's. I quickly changed into workout clothing, untied my naginata and went out to the back of the inn where nobody would get in the way. I stretched out my muscles and put myself into my training regime. If I learned one thing from Akihiko, it was to always be in top physical shape. You never knew when you were going to need to put your body to the test.

The sun set before I worked out all the tension in my body. I wiped sweat from my forehead and turned to go inside. I stopped in my tracks. A shadowy figure stood behind a tree, watching me. My body tensed, ready for a fight. I gripped my naginata tightly in my hands, lowering the blade so it almost touched the ground.

The figure moved closer, never stepping into the light so I could see their face. The closer they came, the more tense I grew. I was ready to attack first and ask questions later when Shinji stepped into the moonlight. Tension ran out of my body, leaving me feeling wasted.

"What the hell, Shinji. Say something would yah? I thought you were some creeper come to make off with me." I snapped.

"Nobody would dare try to touch you after watching you train like that." He commented. I tried to read his expression, but his beanie was shadowing his face. "You looked like a serious badass."

"Yeah, well this badass almost split you open."

He stopped. "What's gotten into you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're acting like a total bitch. This isn't like you, Mina. Something is bothering you. Spill."

It irked me that he could read me so well. "What could possibly be wrong, Senpai?" I shook my head. "I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. I have school in the morning."

School was the same no matter where you go. I've been to enough to know this, and this school wasn't any different. It was the smallest school I've been too, but as always, the teacher paraded me in front of the class and made me do my introductions. I didn't have any idea what to say to the class since I wasn't sure what my made up back story was so I winged it.

I was still from Iwatodai. My name was the same and I moved here because my parents were out of the country on business, and didn't want to leave me alone in a big city. It was sketchy, but it was better than nothing.

I noted that I was in the same class as three of the personal users. They were juniors like me and all sat in the back of classroom together. The girl with the long, wavy brown hair stared at me with wide, brown eyes. She leaned over to the girl with indigo hair and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes also widened. I found this to be interesting, but pretended I wasn't paying attention.

"Arisato, take a seat next to Tatsumi." The teacher pointed to the tall, blonde guy in the back with the girls. One of the persona users. My day was looking up. Sitting next to him in class would make it easier to talk to. I took my seat and class began.

Lunch was rather interesting. Several students approached me about joining them for lunch. Having a new kid was the talk of the school. And I swear, if one more person asks me about my eye color, they are going to find my pencil crammed into their eye-socket.

I made my way up to the roof with my bento. Shinji insisted that I take it because he didn't trust the school to serve anything edible. I didn't complain. Shinji was the best chef in all of Japan as far as I was concerned. I sat on the bench and dug in.

"Oh wow, that looks amazing."

I looked up from my bento to see a girl in a green sweater and the uniform skirt. Wasn't that against the dress code? She had happy, brown eyes and boy cut brown hair. Another one of the persona users. Jeesh, they were easier to get alone than I thought.

I smiled. "It is, Shinjiro-senpai made it for me."

"Senpai?"

I nodded, stuffing my mouth full with another bite. "I'm staying with him until my parents get back. Friend of the family and all that."

"Oh." She sat beside me and set her cup of noodles in her lap. She stared at it sadly, silently wishing them to cook faster. I couldn't help but chuckle. I haven't eaten one of those since Shinji chewed me out for them not being nutritious enough.

I waved the rest of my bento under her nose. Her nose twitched and she locked on to it with her eyes. "You want the rest? I'm stuffed."

"You serious?" I nodded and she snatched it up and chowed down.

That girl could eat. Holy cow.

"You know…" She said quietly after polishing off her meal. "You remind me of a friend of mine."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he transferred here last year. His parent were also working abroad." I could see moisture collecting in her eyes and I knew immediately who she was talking about. "He moved back at the end of the year. Haven't seen him since."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

She dabbed at her eyes. "Look at me, crying like a baby." She sniffled. "I'm Chie by the way."

"Minako."

"Thanks for lunch." She tried to smile, but it fell short.

"Chie-senpai!"

We looked towards the voice. The girl from my class, Rise, was rushing towards us. She spotted me and stopped in her tracks. Her eyes flickered between the two of us hesitantly. Chie noticed this as well and looked at me funny.

"What's the matter, Rise-chan?" Chie asked.

"Uh…um…" The girl stuttered.

Tatsumi stepped up behind Rise and looked at me. "What are you doin' up here?"

"Um, I can leave if you guys want." I offered, standing up.

"No." Tatsumi barked. "You stay."

"Kanji-kun!" Chie gasped. "What is wrong with you two today?"

Realization seeped into my bones. These guys knew what I was. Rise must be like Fuuka. She knew the moment she looked at me that I was a persona user. That's why she reacted the way she did. She would be able to sense Thanatos.

Kanji pointed at me. "What's its name?"

Chie was flabbergasted at this point and stood up beside me. She looked fit to punch somebody in the face. "Okay, that's it, spill it Kanji-kun, or so help me I'm going to leave foot prints all over your face."

I placed my hand on Chie's shoulder and met Kanji's steel gray eyes that reminded me so much of Shinji. "Thanatos. His name is Thanatos."

"Huh?" Chie looked at me.

I sighed. "I was hoping for a smoother introduction, but luck is never on my side." Kanji glared daggers at me and I shook my head. "I'll explain after school. You might as well gather the rest of your group, no use in repeating myself."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

They eyed me suspiciously through the telling of my tale. I decided to start with the beginning. The night I first became conscious of the Dark Hour. I made it to the night I summoned Orpheus for the first time when Naoto interrupted me. The group had never heard of an evoker before. They said they didn't need it to use their persona, but they also said they'd never summoned them here in our world. I'd ask what they meant about that when I was finished.

I gave them detailed descriptions of every full moon battle, the ups and downs of our journey. The devastation we felt when we thought me lost Shinji, our betrayal when Ikutski tried to kill us. The shock that I'd been carrying Death with me since I was only six years old. I cried, laughed and then some. It was like reliving my journey. They wanted to hear the ending of the tale, but I couldn't tell them.

I still didn't remember.

I knew what happened and I told them the outcome, but it had no detail, no emotion attached. I told them about how I became the Seal and I've been fighting an epic battle for almost three years. I told them how I woke up on the school roof, less than a week ago and about my dream the other night. The dream about Narukami Yuu.

Their faces darkened at him name. The girls had tears in their eyes and the guys looked at their shoes. They'd heard the news of their leader's death. None of them seemed to be dealing with it well. Especially Yukiko. I'd been wondering why I hadn't seen her around the inn. She'd been the most devastated by the news. She and Yuu were dating, even long distance. She hadn't been coming to school. It was my luck that this was her first day back.

"If all that shit hadn't happened last year, I'd say you were full of shit." Kanji snorted when I finally finished.

"I know. I remember something crazy happening a couple years ago too, about the Fallen, or something like that." Yosuke admitted. "But, what I don't get is what is happening now?"

I shook my head. "My guess is as good as yours at this point. I've done some research and everything seems to be moving along the same line as everything else has in the past. We had to deal with the Fall, while you guys dealt with the poisonous fog. This current disaster seems to be revolved around the Mayan calendar."

"The Mayan calendar ended on the twenty second, so people assumed that the world was going to end. While in fact it did not. It could be that the fear of the end has brought upon a new enemy who seeks destruction." Naoto deducted. "Yours dealt with people wanting death, ours was about living lies and hiding our true selves. With what you've speculated so far, this one feeds on rage and anger."

"Right. I've documented around the world, several extreme cases of either rage or insanity. Mass murders. There was a case just a day ago a town over, and the crime rate here has gone through the roof." I added.

"Has anybody heard from that damned bear lately?" Kanji asked.

"Bear?" I questioned.

Yosuke shook his head, "I haven't seen Teddie in almost a month now that you mention it." His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You think we should check on him? Last time things got weird, that world got weird too."

"Let's go to our secret hide out!" Chie punched the air.

"Oh god, we're calling it that again?" Rise asked.

I didn't have to wait long to see what they meant about secret hide out. It was the Junes food court. They showed me their meeting place (a long table with bench seating) then marched me into the electronics department and stopped in front a large flat screen TV.

"Okay, nice TV."

"This is the entrance to the other world." Yosuke announced proudly.

"That's where you lose me." I replied. "What other world?"

"The other world is where the shadows live. Well, it was until we took care of Izanami, then it became this beautiful place." Chie explained.

"So, it's like Tartarus?"

"From what you said, yeah, kinda." Kanji said. "At least there won't be any fog to worry about." He pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and grinned. The others laughed and pulled out matching pairs in different colors and styles.

"Old habits die hard." Chie smiled.

"Okay, so how do you get in the other world?"

"Since you have the power of persona, you should be able to just jump through the TV." Naoto explained.

I raised my brow doubtfully, but they proved it when Kanji grabbed my arm and leaped at the TV like a madman. I didn't even have time to brace myself for impact or to even scream. Kanji disappeared into the TV and I went with him.

It was the oddest sensation. Sort of like being plunged into a pool of cold water and yet, my skin crawled with a static charge. It was the feeling you got when you ran your hand just over an old model TV screen without actually touching it. Mix that with plummeting to the ground, I through I was going to hurl.

I slammed into something hard, sort of like a wall, but more pliable. I hit the ground in a tangle of arms and legs and a really sore tail bone. I opened my eyes and looked around. The sky was blue and the area smelled of grass and flowers, but there was also the faint scent of cologne. I turned my head to see Kanji lying beside me, half under my legs and his belt buckle was the reason for my sore tail bone.

I grunted and rolled off, rubbing my backside and grumbling under my breath. The moment I was clear, Kanji hit the fetal position, cupping himself painfully.

"Critical hit to the nads." He groaned.

There was laughter behind us.

"Dude, that's my line." Yosuke chuckled.

I stood up and took a better look around. It was a beautiful landscape, full of flowers, trees and a glistening creek that trickled happily over the cobblestone. It should have been relaxing, but there was a sense of malice in the air. I wasn't the only one that felt it.

"Something isn't right." Rise said, walking up beside Yosuke. "I can sense shadows. And they are agitated."

"Then I guess it's good we kept our weapon cache here." Yosuke said, walking behind a bush and dragging out a chest of weapons. He grabbed a pair of daggers and spun them around with ease.

Kanji grabbed a tower shield. Naoto grabbed a gun, Chie grabbed a wicked pair of boots and Yukiko grabbed a metal fan. Rise was the only on unarmed. Fuuka was the same way. She didn't fight either. The similarities between the two groups was astounding. And heart wrenching. I felt like I was cheating on my friends. I knew I shouldn't feel that way, but I've never fought alongside anybody but them. They knew my every move and I knew theirs. These guys were unknown.

I wish I brought my naginata and my evoker. I felt naked without them, knowing there were shadows nearby. Everybody looked pumped and confident. They could summon their persona without the use of an evoker. I couldn't.

"Do you sense Teddie, Rise?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah, it's faint, but he's here. Lemme summon Kanzeon."A tall, feminine persona appeared behind her, placing a visor over Rise's eyes. The head of the persona, acted like a satellite dish and turned to and fro, scanning the area. "I found him, and it's not good. We need to hurry."

She broke off at a dead run and we all followed. As we ran, the terrain changed from luscious to barren and desert like. The temperate climate also mirrored the desert it looked like. We were plastered with sweat by the time they found Teddie. Teddie, who I assumed to be another human, was a red and blue creature that looked like a stuffed bear you'd win at a carnival. He was completely surrounded by shadows of varying strength and size. His fur was singed and scratched, and the poor bear looked bad.

"Amaterasu!" Yukiko called and her persona, a lovely, female humanoid persona appeared and enveloped the bear in a Diahran.

I reached for the evoker I kept around my waist and swore when I realized it wasn't here. I glared at the shadows, my instinct screaming at me to destroy them. Thanatos swam to the surface of my consciousness and took in my surroundings. He was there, just behind that glass window in my mind that kept him there. With my evoker, I could shatter that glass and let him free.

_Release me! _

My eyes widened in shock. I was used to my persona talking in my mind, whispering to each other and to me, but not once have I heard this voice inside my mind.

_Ryoji-kun?_

_Minako-chan, listen to me. This world is different than the Dark Hour. This is where shadows live, where they originate. Remember, Persona are only the shadows of a humans' psyche given physical from. Just wish it, and I will be free._

My eyes watered. I thought I'd never hear that voice again. The voice of one of my dearest friends. Ryoji and I had a bond nobody could understand. Not even I understood the instant bond between the two of us until he explained everything. He was Thanatos. He was Death. I'd carried him for ten years inside my body, nurturing him, giving a piece of humanity that he never would have had otherwise.

I'd wanted Thanatos with me since I entered this world, but not any longer. I didn't want to see Thanatos. I wanted to see my friend, Ryoji. I let the tension seep from my muscles and I let out a deep breath. "Ryoji, come to me."

There was a searing pain in my mind and a bright light. Arms wrapped around my body, lowering me to the ground as my legs gave out from underneath me. I couldn't see what happened, I could only hear the sounds of my friends shocked voices and the voice of somebody else.

"Minako-chan, thank you." Ryoji whispered in my ear just as I lost consciousness.

A/N: *Hides behind Shinji* I know! I'm so evil, but I swear I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I really need to not get sick, its not good on my muse :( Well, here we are, the next chapter! I'd also like to address an issue brought up in a review. I forgot to explain why Minako is still a junior. I'll go back and add it, but until then, I figured since she has no memory of her final months of her life, she was picking up where she left off. That and to stick her in her senior year almost near the end of the school year seemed wrong. She'd be too far behind.

Chapter 6

The Velvet Room was dark and comforting as always. Igor sat across from me with his hands tucked under his chin and Theodore stationed to his left. The elevator that had been stopped on my last visit was now moving again, ascending into the unknown. I closed my eyes briefly and took in a deep, comforting breath.

"It is good to see you." Igor drawled. "I see you have made your choice. An interesting one to be sure. I have brought you here to sign a contract. One you should be familiar with."

A piece of paper appeared on the table before him. It looked identical to the one I signed before. A pen lay beside it. "If I sign this, what becomes of my power?"

Igor smiled. "Can you not feel it? Your power has already shifted." He waved his hand before him and the arcana card for Death appeared face up on the table. "It would seem there was a shift in your power of persona. An unexpected change, I assure you. As I said before, it would take a great power to take Thanatos from you. And it would seem your desire to see your friend—the love you have for him—was more than powerful enough to separate him from yourself."

"You mean?" I clutched my chest. I felt hollow. Devoid of power. My mental shield against the world was gone. Thanatos ripped from my very being. I began to hyperventilate.

"Do not be frightened, Arisato." Theodore soothed, leaving his masters side to approach me. His gloved hand on my shoulder was reassuring. "You have not lost your power. It is merely evolving."

With another wave of Igor's hand, a card appeared on the table. Judgment. Light flowed from the card. It wrapped around me in a comforting cocoon before seeping into my skin. The empty place in my mind filled, ending my panic. A name fell from my lips.

"Messiah."

"Indeed. Your desire to find the truth and to root out evil has awakened the strongest arcana."

"Does this mean I'm the Wild Card?"

"It does not, but together with your comrades, the Wild Card will not be needed. Everybody is already reinforced with the bonds of friendship. Nothing can change that, or strengthen it further." Igor explained.

"If I'm not the Wild Card, what is the contract for?"

"The same as always, to tie you to your word. That you will take full responsibility for your actions." I nodded and picked up the pen. Without hesitation, I signed my name. "It has been a pleasure, but alas, our time is at an end. Farewell."

Tension rang high among the group. They stood around the newcomer, persona all at the ready should he prove to be dangerous. Yosuke wasn't sure what to do, what order to give. With Narukami gone, everybody seemed to gravitate towards him for leadership. He wasn't as confident as their leader or as smart, but he would do his best to protect his friends.

Arisato laid unconscious before them with a boy their age holding her in his arms. Nobody had the faintest idea where the boy came from. One minute there was a blinding light, all the shadows evaporated and he appeared. He looked calm and collected. Nothing at all like an enemy. And the way he cradled Arisato disturbed him. Yosuke felt like he was seeing something not meant for the public eye. There was such adoration and love in the strange blue eyes of the newcomer.

"Rise, can you get a read on him?" He asked.

Her persona appeared behind her and placed the visor over her eyes. "He's like Teddie."

"You mean, a shadow that's not really a shadow?" Kanji asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

Teddie walked over to the stranger, closer than Yosuke would have liked. "What is your name?"

The boy looked up and squinted at Teddie. "My name is Mochizuki Ryoji."

"What are you?"

"What am I?" Ryoji repeated the question back. He looked down at Minako and back to the group. "That is a question I'm not sure I have the answer to. I am a shadow, Death. But I am also human, thanks to her."

The visor lifted from Rise, "Where did you come from? And what happened to Minako-chan?"

"Do not worry, she is fine, only sleeping. It took a lot out of her to release me. She told you about what happened to her, three years ago, correct?"

The group nodded.

"I am Ryoji, the Appraiser."

"So, if you're here, does that mean that Nyx person is coming again?" Yosuke asked.

Ryoji shook his head. "No, she is well and truly sealed away. I have been connected to Minako in many ways. As Pharos, as Ryoji, and as her persona, Thanatos." He looked around. "Being in this world allowed my voice to reach her. When she summoned me, she didn't summon me as Thanatos, but as Ryoji." He looked at his hands. "I did not expect to take this form ever again."

"Okay, so let me get this straight." Naoto said. "She went to summon her persona to fight and instead of her persona, you showed up?"

Ryoji nodded.

"That's fucked up." Kanji swore.

Minako's body began to glow with a soft, warm light, drawing everybody's attention. A blue card hovered in the air above her, floating, spinning. Rise gasped.

"Her power, it's changing." She exclaimed. "I've never felt anything like it."

The blue card descended, casing a blue light around her body as it touched her skin. Ryoji laid her out on the ground and took a step back as her eyes fluttered open. She groaned and brought her hand to her forehead.

"About time you woke up, sleepyhead." Ryoji chuckled.

Minako's body froze and her eyes widened. Her hand fell from her face and she locked eyes with Ryoji. They stared at each other momentarily before she scrambled to her feet and launched herself at him. He caught her and spun her around once before placing her back on her feet.

"Ryoji-kun!" She squealed. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's really you!"

"Okay, I hate to break up this touching moment, but guys…" Rise interrupted. "We are completely surrounded by shadows.

The group reacted immediately, standing with their backs to each other. The shadows showed themselves and approached, chattering and howling. Yosuke's blood was thrumming with excitement. He had to admit, he missed the action of fighting for his life. Susano-o sprang to life and blasted the group with a Magarudyne. Several evaporated, and a few of them reflected the spell back his direction. The wind magic brushed past him harmlessly.

"I guess this calls for Yamato-Takeru." Naoto summoned her persona and let loose a Megidolaon.

Minako glanced at Naoto and a grin flashed across her face, lighting up her bright, red eyes. "Messiah!" her persona appeared in front of her, his hands stretched out towards the shadows. "Morning Star!"

Between the two Almighty attacks, the enemies were wiped out, leaving the Investigation Team in shock. They hadn't seen that kind of power since Narukami.

"Impressive." Yosuke smiled.

"Thanks!" She chirped. Her chipperness seemed to fade as she looked around at the landscape. "We need to find out what is behind this."

The group nodded in agreement.

"I think we should head back and regroup tomorrow." Naoto said. "A lot has happened today. It's a lot to take in at once."

Shinji paced the room. His hands stuffed in his pockets and his eyes trained on the floor. Where was she? She'd been acting strange since they arrived here in Inaba and now she's late coming home from school. She'd always been punctual. If she was out hanging with friends, that was great, but she should have called him or sent him a text…something to let him know she was safe.

He paused in his pacing and stared at his axe propped in the corner of the room. Something was happening out there. His worst fear was it found Minako and hurt her. He couldn't stand to go through that again. She was his world. This not knowing where she was, was killing him. He growled under his breath and approached his axe, ready to grab it and walk out the door with intention to murder whoever might have touched Minako.

Her laughter hit his ears and he relaxed. Another voice. Male. Also laughing. He tensed again, this time for another reason. His hands itched to grab the weapon, but he stuffed them back in his pockets and took a seat at the table. He wouldn't get mad. He had no right to be. Or did he? His head was a mess.

The door slid open and Minako walked in, followed by a boy he'd only seen pictures of. He was on his feet again, hands clenched tightly in his pocket. Instead of demanding to know why Ryoji was in their room, he decided for a different approach.

"Do you realize how late it is?"

The smile faded from her lips. He could see her struggling to form a proper response. She'd never been so indecisive. He remembered her being perfect. Always knowing what to say to get anybody to smile. Where had that Minako gone? Had the Seal changed her that much?

"Were you worried?" She finally asked.

No shit he was worried! Why wouldn't he be considering she rushed off to this desolate town to meet these new persona users, not to mention talking about another threat to humanity. Wait, why was her uniform dirty? And was that a tear on her sleeve and a smudge of dirt on her cheek?

He knew the signs of battle well enough to know she hadn't just been hanging out with friends. "Where the fuck have you been? And why is _He _here?" He spat the word like venom. He'd heard stories of this Ryoji kid and the disaster he brought with him. How it was him that brought Nyx down on their heads. Not to mention the kids infatuation with _his_ woman.

"His name is Ryoji, and I've been doing some investigating." She replied shortly.

"And you didn't think to come get me?" He snapped. "We came here to work _together_. Not for you to run off and nose dive into danger alone."

The thought of her fighting alone scared him to death. She didn't have her arsenal of persona anymore and her weapon was still here in the hotel room. She could have gotten herself killed.

"Actually, I wasn't alone." She pointed to Ryoji. "He was with me, and so were the entire Investigation Group."

"Investigation Group?"

"The other group of persona users. It's what they call themselves. Kinda like how we are SEES." She explained. "They are a lot like our group actually. I think you'd like them. Oh! And one of their members is a shadow with the power of persona!"

There was a twinkle of excitement in her eye. A glimpse of her normal self. Had this group managed to bring out the true Minako when he could not? He bit the inside of his cheek. How had they grown so far apart? Oh yeah, three years is a long time to be apart when they'd only been together a few months. They were practically strangers.

"Can Ryoji-kun stay here?" She asked, plastering her puppy eyes to her face and jutting out her bottom lip in the cutest pout he'd ever seen.

As much as he loved that look, and wanted to give her whatever she wanted, he would not let that _thing_ stay in the same room as them. "He's gonna have to find some other place to crash. Sorry, Mina."

She frowned and bit her bottom lip as she turned to face the blue-eyed boy. "Where will you stay?"

Ryoji shrugged. "Don't worry, Minako-chan. I'll figure something out." He reached out and tucked a wisp of her hair behind her ear. Jealousy raced through his veins, begging him, urging him to introduce Ryoji to the blade of his axe.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" She asked him.

"Of course." He leaned in to kiss her on the forehead but took one look into Shinjiro's eyes and hesitated. He thought better of it and took a step away from Minako. "Until tomorrow." He tipped an imaginary hat and strolled out the door.

"Are you feeling alright, Shinji?" Minako asked, stepping close enough to him he could feel the heat radiating off her body.

His emotions switched on a dime and he wanted to pull her close and show her who she belonged with. To claim her with his body. He was forced to close his eyes and turn away to keep from reaching out to her. What the hell was wrong with him?

"I'm fine, just been a long night." He answered.

She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, and pressed her face between his shoulder blades. He held his breath as his body tightened. How long had he dreamed of touching her, holding her, loving her? Now that she was finally here, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was afraid he'd hurt her. That he'd lose himself in her.

"I'm sorry for worrying you." She whispered, squeezing him gently. "I know it's been a rough couple of days. I'm sorry. My head's a mess. I can't make sense of anything. I don't mean to be angry all the time." She was silent for a moment. "I love you, Shinji."

He relaxed in her embrace and placed his hand on her arms. "I love you too, Minako."

Humans prided themselves on social and technological advancement, but they were no different now than they had been an age ago. In fact, they were worse now than ever. They fought countless bloody battles all for the sake of greed. Crime was at an all time high. If they wanted something they took it, regardless of the consequences. It was a flood of these emotions that woke him from his slumber. If the human race was so desperate to know about the end of days, he shall show them. He would cultivate rage and temptation; plant it in the minds of the weak and young. He needed to feast off the strongest of the baser emotions to rekindle the main spark of his true power.

His eyes narrowed in confusion. Nobody had the power to resist temptation, rage, and greed. It was human nature to give in to your baser instinct. How were these two humans thwarting his advances? Everybody else he pushed snapped like branches under foot. They gave in to themselves and took what they wanted. They became food for the cause.

These humans, they had a strong will. Their minds partially shielded from him with a power unknown to him. He could sense their darker sides, and coaxed and pushed that dark side to emerge, but they never fully did. Just when he thought they would snap, they'd reign themselves in and he'd have to start from scratch.

It looked like he would have to try harder.


End file.
